QOD Electric Trolley

[DaveP043]

So I took the plunge, largely based on this review by @iacas

https://thesandtrap.com/b/accessories/qod_electric_golf_cart_review

I've always loved walking the golf course, but with the passage of time I've managed to find excuses to ride in a cart instead of walking and carrying my bag.  So I went online and bought the QOD electric trolley, which takes the weight of the bag off of my shoulders.  After two days of playing and walking with the QOD carrying my cubs for me, I have nothing but good things to say about it.  Set-up is simple, it fits easily in a car trunk, it rolls up any hill that I can climb behind it, its acceptably stable crossing reasonable side slopes, and I enjoyed walking my way around a golf course in a way I haven't enjoyed for a long while.  If anyone has any questions, I'll do my best to answer them. 

A note about customer service.  On the course yesterday I was fiddling with the catch that holds the drive wheel onto the axle, and managed to detach it, and further couldn't get it to re-latch properly.  No big deal, finished the round, came home, and brought it inside to fiddle some more.  I still couldn't get it to latch properly, so I emailed the Contact at QOD, around 4 PM on Saturday.  Within an hour I had a return email explaining the problem, suggesting a first course of action, as well as a second if the first didn't work out.  Color me impressed, customer service on a Saturday afternoon, returning emails.  

[billchao]

Nice! I know you were talking about getting it, good to hear the cart is working out and you're walking the course again.

Strange coincidence but the top strap on my pull cart broke this morning so I'll be getting a new cart myself. This ones a little outside of my budget, though 😅

[DaveP043]

9 minutes ago, billchao said:

Nice! I know you were talking about getting it, good to hear the cart is working out and you're walking the course again.

Yeah, as you can appreciate, my course can be a challenge to old legs, or even younger legs.  I made 2 rounds this weekend, and I'm tired but not completely exhausted.  I'm pleased to be back to hoofing it.

[DaveP043]

So here I am, a couple months and over a dozen rounds using the QOD, and I'm still very happy with it.  I do have a couple of comments, just to build on what @iacas said in his review.

The speed control works just fine, although sometimes with just a bit of a lag.  Every once in a while, I tweak the speed, wait a second or two, and the QOD starts to try to run away.  Its never a big deal to dial it back just a bit, especially once I got used to it a little.  Also, although the knob turns smoothly, I feel like the motor runs on discrete increments.  Definitely not a big deal, but it just doesn't feel like its "infinitely controllable".  Of course, its hard to really tell when I'm walking next to it, whether its the slight lag between the twist and the speed change, of it really does go in steps.

The second comment concerns overall stability.  As Erik said, this is a trolley that you'll want to stay near most of the time, simply to control the speed.  He mentioned the low ground clearance, and I do occasionally get "high-centered".  Also, with the rear wheels being the narrower, I have to be careful with turning while crossing a slope.  In traditionally set-up trolleys, the rear wheels are wide, so you don't lose any lateral stability when you lift up the forward wheel(s) to steer.  With the QOD, you definitely become less stable when you tip it back to steer.  The QOD is plenty stable with all 4 wheels on the ground, so a little support with a hand on the handle is plenty to keep it moving across a slope.  These two factors aren't a big deal, they just mean I have to pay a tiny bit of attention when I'm going over rough ground, or across a side-slope.  Going up a steep slope, I just have to keep a finger under the handle to keep it from tipping backward.  

Again, I've been very happy with the QOD, the construction is solid, the set-up and take-down is VERY simple, the power to go up and down hills is great, and it has me walking on the golf course again.  Last time I clocked it with a phone app, the QOD went 5.7 miles.

[DaveP043]

I wanted to return to this, based on some recent experiences.  Despite warnings in the Owners Manual, I have occasionally allowed my QOD to drop down a few inches (OK, maybe close to a foot) to a fairly hard landing.  A couple of weeks ago, I immediately felt a problem, felt like a tooth had broken off of a gear.  So the next morning (a rainy Sunday morning), I emailed QOD customer service about it.  Within a few hours (still Sunday) I received an email, confirming that I had indeed broken a gear.  There were two options, I either ship the whole thing back to them for repair, or they ship me just the motor/gearbox unit for me to install.  Because I had had the QOD for over a year, I'd need to pay freight both ways, and a $29 charge for labor, but the parts were covered by the warranty.  The other option, I had to pay only for shipping of the motor/gearbox unit, and they sent me a video showing step-by-step instructions to disassemble and reassemble.   

I've decided I can do the work myself, so they're shipping me the unit.  However, these units all come from Australia, and they're currently out of stock.  There's a shipment scheduled, but its been delayed, perhaps due to the Covid stuff.  So the QOD guys have given me another choice.  Wait a week or two for the shipment to come in, and be given my choice of an accessory for the QOD, (including the $79 anti-tip wheel), or they would disassemble on of the complete units in stock (currently destined for purchasers of the full units) and send me just the motor/gearbox.  This is the route I'm taking, and I have a tracking number so I can expect to see my package to arrive on Friday.

All in all, I'm really happy with the customer service from QOD USA.  The fast initial response, the continued communication as the shipping situation was uncovered, the no-questions-asked response to the damage (it was probably operator error, and I made that clear).  

 

[iacas]

I looked for the anti-tip wheel on the site and didn't see it. Or even a picture of it. It seems to come pre-installed on new models, though. So a picture will likely show up eventually.

Good to hear. I've only had positive experiences with their customer service as well. Highly recommended.

[DaveP043]

17 minutes ago, iacas said:

I looked for the anti-tip wheel on the site and didn't see it. Or even a picture of it. It seems to come pre-installed on new models, though. So a picture will likely show up eventually.

Good to hear. I've only had positive experiences with their customer service as well. Highly recommended.

They told me in the email that they won't have the anti-tip wheels in stock for another 4 to 6 weeks.  I checked the Australian website, and didn't see any mention of the anti-tip wheel there either.  Either way, I've gotten used to supporting the back of mine when I go up steep slopes, and we have a fair number of those here.  

[mohearn]

Bumping old thread. I've noticed quite a few people already this year with electric carts.  All of them are using remotes.  People seem to like the idea of remotes, but they seem to be always fussing around.

I was looking at a QOD and I really don't want to be running around with a remote in my pocket, but I thought I'd ask, since maybe now you have more experience with your QOD?  

If I have $1000 to spend to improve my game/experience, maybe I'll buy a e-cart.

Just now, mohearn said:

I really don't want to be running around with a remote in my pocket, .

To clarify, I know the QOD doesn't use a remote, but most others do almost exclusively.

 

[jlbos83]

On 4/6/2021 at 4:28 PM, mohearn said:

Bumping old thread. I've noticed quite a few people already this year with electric carts.  All of them are using remotes.  People seem to like the idea of remotes, but they seem to be always fussing around.

I was looking at a QOD and I really don't want to be running around with a remote in my pocket, but I thought I'd ask, since maybe now you have more experience with your QOD?  

If I have $1000 to spend to improve my game/experience, maybe I'll buy a e-cart.

To clarify, I know the QOD doesn't use a remote, but most others do almost exclusively.

 

I guess we are in a bit of a threadjack, but...

I got a MGI Zip Navigator AT from Costco in January.  I have almost 100 miles on it, so I can say a bit about it!

It operates with a remote, though it will also operate from the control box on the handle.  At first I would "drive" from the handle in tight spots, but as time has gone on I find I can do just as well from the remote.  As far as the remote goes, in the fairway and on the tee, I just set the remote on the flat area on the handle.  I kind of wish that there was a "holster" on the top side.  there is one under the handle, but it's not really convenient (it is where I put the remote when I fold it up).  If I am on the green, and leaving the cart in a place I don't plan to return to, I will put the remote in my pocket, remembering to hit the "LOCK" button first, to avoid accidental button presses.  I generally don't drive the cart where I can't see the wheels (behind hill, etc.) unless I am sure of what is there.  When on the fairway, I can send the my clubs out ahead of me, keeping an eye on it, but I don't have to concentrate much on it.  It has a gyro system that keeps it going in the direction it starts, so little hills don't send it wandering.  The time I have to pay the most attention is when the cart is behind me, and I am running it up to me.  If I am not paying attention I could run myself over!

In summary, when I am using the remote, I don't feel like I am fussing about.  What it looks like to someone else, I don't know!  Going down the fairway, it's almost second nature.  I run it out a ways, then hit stop, and don't have to pay attention again until I am close to it.

[DaveP043]

On 4/6/2021 at 7:28 PM, mohearn said:

Bumping old thread. I've noticed quite a few people already this year with electric carts.  All of them are using remotes.  People seem to like the idea of remotes, but they seem to be always fussing around.

We have a growing number of motorized trolleys at my home club, from a variety of manufacturers.  I'd estimate that at least 2/3 have a remote, maybe more.  I've never felt like I missed having a remote, I found it to be distracting when I borrowed my wife's trolley.  I know of a small number of people who choose not to use a remote, even though their trolley has one.  I've known of a very small number of times when a remote-controlled trolley has run into a hazard, usually due to operator error.  I don't think there's a single right way to go.